A Selfish Heart
by chancewriter
Summary: Tsunade gets word that the Akatsuki is planning an attack on Konoha. At the same time, presumed dead Hinata returns home with traitor Sasuke Uchiha. They both have issues and Tsunade isn't sure if it's because they're jaded or if it's something more sinister so she lets them play a cat and mouse game against each other in order to know who to trust. AU
1. Allegiance

**Chapter One: Allegiance **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto

A/N: **If this looks familiar, that's because I posted it already, but deleted the story in order to do some work on it. So here it is again.**

Full summary: **Tsunade gets word that the Akatsuki is planning an attack on Konoha. At the same time, presumed dead Hinata returns home with traitor Sasuke Uchiha. They both have issues and Tsunade isn't sure it's because they're jaded or if it's something more sinister, so she lets them play a cat and mouse game against each other in order to know who to trust. AU. **

Warnings**: Strong language, character death(s), sexually oriented nudity, extended violence, flashbacks.**

* * *

_"I, Hinata Hyuuga, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Will of Fire of Konoha, in the Land of Fire against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the Hokage and the orders of the officers appointed over me, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter. So help me God."_

Kiba thought that the smell of charred wood and stone was overbearing, but not as uncomfortable as the scent of the black flames. Fire had a scent, but this Amaterasu was something else. Its smell was pungent and gave him a strange feeling – like something bad was about to happen. Hanabi looked over at him.

"Are you okay, Kiba-kun?"

"Are you?"

It was Hanabi's first real A-class mission. Even though she'd proven herself on countless of B-class missions, he knew that she was still young. She only nodded, but Kiba could tell that she too was awed and secretly terrified by the amount of destruction that occurred between the fight of the last Uchiha brothers.

"Any sign of Sasuke?" Kakashi asked the tracking team.

Shino, Kiba, Akamaru and Hanabi all shook their heads solemnly, looking away when they saw hope slide off of Naruto's face.

"What about Itachi? What about his body?"

"Negative." The trackers affirmed in unison. Hanabi knew what she saw. She knew that Itachi's body was taken away by white Zetsu and that Sasuke simply disappeared along with Tobi. But where did they go?

Kakashi didn't want to look at Naruto then and Sakura could guess why. She always saw her sensei as that deadbeat dad that's now back in his children's lives, trying to atone for mistakes, but never quite getting it right. Between Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura didn't know which hurt him more – the fact that he failed with Sasuke or that he can't seem to help Naruto the way he would like to.

"Kaka-sensei, that look in your eyes…"

"We need to report to the Hokage immediately." Kakashi responded, cutting off any idea that Sakura might have that she could relate to him now. He felt bad about it, but that was just how he was. Keep moving; it was all he knew. "Naruto, let's head back. We need to look into the next step."

It was not enough, but it was sufficient to get Naruto forward-looking instead of navel gazing and wallowing at another missed opportunity to get back Sasuke. Everyone was grateful for Kakashi's distant professionalism.

XxxXxx

* * *

Rain and the sound of crickets chirping were the first things Sasuke heard when he woke up. He was feeling so cold, forcing him to try to pull the covers up, but his hands felt dead to him. No matter how hard he tried to command them to move, they simply wouldn't. As a matter of fact, his entire body felt numbed, intent on disobeying his demand to react. Maybe he was having another episode of sleep paralysis, that uncomfortable inability to move when waking up. Usually when this happened he simply closed his eyes and relaxed instead of letting the panic settle in and eventually the feeling would go away and he would rise. But the trick didn't work this time. As expected, panic settled in.

"Relax." Someone said as they adjusted the covers on him.

That voice. It was not Karin's. His eyelids slowly fluttered open and a blurry, pale face with pale eyes and dark hair that tickled his face eventually came into focus.

That face. It was definitely not Karin's face. He didn't know this person. His first instinct was to draw his kunai, but again he found himself unable to move his arms. Panicked, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, immensely relieved that he could at least still use his kekkei genkai. He would trap his captor in a genjutsu, forcing her to release him.

"Relax. Go back to sleep. You are tired. Besides," She said looking directly into his eyes, "a skilled Byakugan user could see through most any genjutsu." She said in that soft, marshmallow voice as seemingly incongruent angry, raised veins erupted on the sides of her eyes.

A strong and intense fatigue gripped him, but it was something he was familiar with – chakra drain. What had happened to him to be feeling this tired? Oh yes, he had finally killed Itachi. The thought gave him a sense of peace of finally, finally attaining his life-long goal and he succumbed to the blissful call of sleep.

Wait a minute. Byakugan?!

His eyes flew open but she was no longer taking up the space directly in front of him and instead all he saw were the deep brown colour of wooden rafters and the metallic grey of a galvanize roof. He tried to turn his head, but again found the effort Herculean and gave up. Sleep was too tempting and he fell back to slumber knowing, but not understanding why or how a Hyuuga was helping him.

The rain was still falling the next day. Hinata stood at the entrance of the small four-room hut and looked out at the heavy rain falling over the mountainous area that she was now in. She had moved around so many times over the last few years, but had stayed here the longest – almost a year. She knew the land well, too well if Tobi had anything to say about it. She looked back at the sleeping figure on the mat in the room directly after this one. Was he sleeping? It had been a few hours; he should be awake by now.

The sudden dark presence of Tobi filled her line of sight. He was not in his usual Akatsuki robes, but clad only in his simple black pants and black long-sleeved shirt and of course, he still wore that stupid mask as if she couldn't see right through it. He cautiously sat down cross-legged next to Sasuke. Hinata supposed he was wary of the black flames that had erupted on his face the last time he tried to speak to Sasuke. She didn't blame him. She wouldn't want black flames bursting onto her face either. An involuntary smile crossed her features. Itachi-kun sure had planned, she thought.

She looked at the pair more closely, but she couldn't hear what Tobi was saying because of the deafening sound of the rain atop the galvanized roof, but she knew he had to have said something. She saw Sasuke stir and turn his head in the direction of Tobi. It looked to her like Sasuke said, "Who are you?"

Tobi slightly turned his head to indicate that he knew Hinata was watching him, trying to listen. He stretched his hand and closed the door. Hinata smiled slightly and turned back to watch the mountains. She didn't bother to activate her Byakugan. She already knew she couldn't see through those walls because of the special material it was infused with. It was weird. She could never figure out whether the kekkei genkai-blocking walls were physical or genjutsu or ninjutsu based. All she knew was that she couldn't see through those walls. But that didn't bother her because she knew that Tobi couldn't see through them either.

Hinata watched the rain splattering the mountainous countryside. She cautiously stepped outside the small cabin, keeping to the side of the house in an attempt not to get too wet. She picked tended to a few of the herbs that she had growing in two barrels at the side of the shack. She looked at them wistfully after she removed a couple of their leaves. She went back inside to the kitchen to start dinner for the men. Hours must have passed before the door slid open and Tobi approached her.

"Are you ready for dinner?" She asked him. He nodded wearily. "It'll be ready in about ten minutes."

He didn't respond, instead only walked straight past her and out into the muddy yard. She hoped that he didn't trek mud back into the house, especially the kitchen. She had just cleaned the floors.

A sudden thought came to her. Why the hell should she care? If all went well, he could track enough mud into the house to open his own mud pie bakery. She wouldn't be there to care because tonight, _tonight_ she was leaving.

XxxXxx

* * *

"She stopped?"

"Yeah. She's tired. Oh she's on the move again. She was just adjusting the wheelbarrow."

"What about her companion?"

"The second target is still unconscious."

"She sure seems to be stopping a lot and using that Byakugan."

"You think she knows she's being watched?"

"It's a possibility, but I've seen no overt signs of her noticing a bird and a cartoon rat is following her."

"You're skills have become truly impressive though, Gorgeous."

Ino rolled her eyes, not bothering to give him the reply she really wanted to give him.

"Heads up, she's coming to you Green 1."

"Copy." Shikamaru replied into the radio. He knew that Hinata knew that he was there. She most likely noticed Sai's chakra-drawn rat, but he was unsure whether she had noticed that the bird that was always in the trees was actually Ino. In the last two years or so, Ino had really learnt to split her consciousness, so that she could occupy multiple minds. He was really proud of her.

He was ready at any moment to apprehend Hinata if necessary especially given the situation, but she was close to the gates now and had shown no signs of hostility or underhandedness.

How long had it been since he'd seen Hinata? He thought she was dead. Everyone did. Did they give up on her too soon? To see her now was so jarring. She looked more or less the same, if a little less timid. How would the rest of them be able to face her? Naruto never gave up on Sasuke, but did they put the same amount of effort into Hinata? An uncomfortable feeling pooled in Shikamaru's chest and he was glad that he was not the one to meet Hinata at the gates.

XxxXxx

* * *

"Is everything alright?"

"Come in Naruto." Tsunade said wearily. Naruto closed the door behind him and instantly knew that something was wrong.

"What's the matter? What's going on?"

"We've received information that a traitor and a MIA ninja will be returning to the Village."

"But why are you…" It took Naruto a few seconds to get it. "Oh! Sasuke?! Sasuke is coming home?"

Tsunade nodded, unwillingly cracking a tiny smile at the joy on Naruto's face. He looked like he was going to break down and cry. She imagined that she would feel the same if her past came back to life…

"Where is he? What happened? Was he captured? Is he returning on his own free will? What?"

"I'll give you the details later. Right now I have a situation to deal with."

"But you can't just leave me hanging here!"

"Brat, I said to get out! You're lucky I even considered you enough to tell you!"

"But –"

"Get out!" Tsunade screamed at him as she readied herself to jump across that desk and run up Naruto's chest.

"Alright, Alright! But remember, you owe me!" Naruto closed the door just in time to avoid being hit in the head with a heavy book. In the process he ran straight into Ibiki. Being so up close and personal to the Interrogator had Naruto pressed to the door like wallpaper as he unconsciously recoiled.

"I-I-Ibiki-san! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!"

Ibiki looked down at Naruto and one glare had Naruto scurrying out of the way as Ibiki made his way to the Hokage's office.

Naruto was able to add up the reasons for Ibiki's visit given recent revelations. He didn't feel sorry for Sasuke though as he was sure that Sasuke knew that he was in for a lot of mind probing and other "information-gathering methods". It came as part of the price for being a returning ninja. Naruto was just glad that Tsunade hadn't mentioned anything about Sasuke being jailed or put to death. She didn't mention it, but she didn't confirm it either…

Naruto walked out of the tower and turned left to go check up on Iruka-sensei. He wondered who was the other ninja that was with Sasuke. But it didn't matter that much. He was just glad that Sasuke was back. He couldn't wait to tell Sakura. Wait, was this classified information at the moment, he wondered.

XxxXxx

* * *

"This is classified information, Ibiki." Tsunade said after she'd calmed herself down with a big gulp of a strong drink.

"Of course."

"We've received intelligence from a highly trusted and reliable source that a traitor and a ninja that's been MIA for three years will be returning to the Village. We've also received information that the Akatsuki is planning an attack on Konoha."

"Who are the people that are returning?"

"Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuuga."

Ibiki couldn't hide his shock as he muttered, "But their last known affiliation was the –"

"…Akatsuki." Tsunade finished his sentence.

"Then this means…"

"…That you have permission to extract the necessary information through whatever means necessary. Understood?"

"Understood."

XxxXxx

* * *

How long had it been, Hinata wondered as she neared the huge wooden gates to see the hiragana あん still painted on them, a bit faded, but still clearly visible, especially in the brilliant and blazing two o'clock in the afternoon sun. The gates hadn't looked as tall as it did before. She guessed she must have grown in those three years. She was eighteen now and she wondered what her standing would be given her circumstances. And of course, she wondered about Naruto. She had once done all this for him and for her country. She also thought about _him_ too, but quickly shook the thought out of her mind.

The wheelbarrow creaked noisily and still Sasuke didn't wake. Well, he woke once, still groggy and she had had to shut down his brain and knock him out with the gentle fist for the rest of the ride. More than likely Tobi would have already been awake. Complacency was a ninja's biggest detriment. She underestimated the amount of poison it would take…

That was why she was moving at the pace she was. The wheelbarrow creaked and the front wheel twisted, but still she didn't stop. Every other minute she was activating her Byakugan, searching her surroundings for Tobi or any signs of the Akatsuki, but all she noticed was Shikamaru, Ino, a bird that was clearly stalking her and a chakra drawn rat. But she didn't let those spies bother her. She had entered Konoha's boundary, so she expected something like this. Tobi's inaction was still bothering her though. She thought that maybe he would've come after her. Why wasn't he after her? Her path was suspiciously clear. Her escape was too easy. She had the sneaking suspicion that she was allowed to escape, but why? Why now?

She didn't slow down as she neared the gate, instead almost ploughing through Izumo as she crossed the boundary; her hands seized in an unyielding grip around the handles of the wheel barrow. She had crossed the first boundary with no problem; the guards letting her go after they got one good look at her and her quarry. They must have sent word up ahead because Izumo looked at her sympathetically, pitifully, and cocked his head to the side and said,

"Hyuuga heir, right?"

Hinata opened her mouth to speak but found her throat dry, so she just nodded vigorously, feeling the sweat fall from her brows and shake loose from her upper lip. Her clothes were sticky. It was so damn hot and she was so tired.

"The Hokage is expecting you. You're three years late, but you must have one hell of a story, right?" They both looked down at the sleeping (more like passed out) Sasuke Uchiha stuffed into the wheelbarrow, their minds spinning with the possibilities, of all the paths that this situation could lead to.

Hinata could only nod again and hoped that her plan worked. She had a mission to complete and a promise to deliver.


	2. Mistrust

**Chapter Two: Mistrust **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

There was something very, very off about Hyuuga Hinata, but Sasuke couldn't put his finger on what it was exactly.

It had been nine days since his arrival in Konoha. Currently he was in the Hokage Tower sitting in a bench in a windowless room as he awaited the arrival of the Hokage, Tsunade. He met her only twice and his impression of her was not nice. Her temper reminded him of Sakura; that alone made him dislike her. Also, she had put a seal on him making it impossible for him to leave the village. At the moment however, that was not as bad as a punishment as she may think...

The room was painted imagination-lacking white and had nothing besides two hard, wooden benches situated in the middle of the room and another door that led to a bathroom where Sasuke was sure there was a guard waiting there to watch you pee and foil escape plans (not that he couldn't take out one measly ANBU in between his two shakes and a wiggle). There were another four ANBU guards all around the main room. They didn't bother to make their presence unknown, serving as a reminder that he shouldn't try anything, though they needn't try so hard as he simply didn't want to. He felt sore and listless. It was probably just a mental thing, but at the moment, like the sealing, this lethargy worked in his favour.

Sasuke never would have guessed that the mousy girl that he barely remembered from so long ago was capable of such things. That is why he was absolutely confused by her panicked vomiting in the bathroom. No one in the outer room showed any indication that they were disgusted, though Sasuke knew they were, for he was too. Hinata sounded like she was throwing up everything from her toes come up and he hoped that it smelled horrendous too. That would show the ANBU guard who was inside there with her!

It was confusing though. Both Hinata and himself were separately debriefed (read tortured and interrogated) by Ibiki for hours on end. Even though he wasn't there, he was sure that she went through the same type of 'debriefing' as he did. Her torture and interrogation (T&I) was probably worse seeing as how he was just a missing nin and she, she was with the bloody Akatsuki for three years! In the end she was given a free pass just like him. So why then when – Wait, what was her name again? Tsunade's assistant's name was… Sasuke drew a blank. Anyway, he continued to ponder, why then was Hinata so unnerved when Tsunade's assistant mentioned that the Hokage was on her way and that Naruto-that-idiot might tag along? Surely she was stronger than that?

Hinata stepped out of the room and quickly slammed shut the door behind her. Sasuke's lips turned up into a microscopic smirk. Seemed the girl had a tiny sadistic streak in her as the smell that she just trapped the ANBU guard in there with must be atrocious. Sadistic and tricky. Yet, she didn't look it. And that was the problem right there, now wasn't it?

Hinata sat down on the hard bench next to Sasuke. She hadn't spoken to him since nearly two weeks ago in the small shack that she called a home for almost a year. She didn't even want to make eye contact with him. He reminded her way too much of _him._ That person quickly disappeared from her mind when suddenly the door burst open and in came Naruto.

"N-N-Naru–"

"SASUKE YOU BASTARD!"

Naruto's voice barrelled over anything Hinata was going to say as he happily stomped his way over to Sasuke, which was strange to Hinata as it was clear as day that Sasuke was giving off a distinct get-the-hell-away-from-me aura.

"Brat!"

That was Tsunade who clocked Naruto good on his head. Hinata couldn't even feel sorry for him as she was too busy making sure she could breathe. She hadn't seen Naruto in so long. She had done everything that she initially did for him. And now? Now he didn't realize that she was in the same room as him. Nothing had changed.

"Sasuke-kun,"

Someone said breathlessly like they were having a heart attack and everyone looked behind them to see Sakura at the door looking saucer-eyed and slack-jawed. Behind her was Kakashi reading, as usual, his perverse books like he couldn't be bothered to see his long-lost student. Hinata always got the impression that that was the one indication that the man was trying too hard.

Naruto rushed to hug/maim Sasuke for all the heartache he put them through, while Sakura stood there looking like she was going to melt. Kakashi finally moved aside his book to look Sasuke in the eye and Tsunade stood to the side not giving the same fucks that Sasuke was currently not giving.

It was clear that Tsunade didn't care too much for Sasuke. Hinata wondered how much of that was really true though, since she couldn't be bothered to have a stirring reunion for Hinata as well. But then Hinata heard a booming bark.

"HINATA-CHAN!"

"Kiba-kun?"

Hinata got up and raced to hug him as Akamaru barked happily at his side, his tail spinning side to side and hitting the closest ANBU like a whip upon a slave's back.

"Hinata-chan, I can't believe it! Everyone thought you were dead! I–" He broke off, his voice constricted by emotions.

Hinata had never expected so much love. She was close to Kiba yes, but still to know that she was missed and loved…It brought instant tears to her eyes.

"Oh God no. Hinata-kun, did I say something wrong? Why are you crying? I'm not good with crying girls."

"Those are tears of joy, are they not, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata looked up to see Shino who really hadn't changed much and right behind him was her beloved sensei. She didn't know who to hug first so she half-dragged Kiba into a hug with Shino and Kurenai.

"Oh Hinata, we missed you so much." Kurenai breathed out, tears choking her words.

A clearing of the throat let Hinata know that someone else was waiting to embrace her too. For one mad moment, she thought it was Naruto, but it turned out to be her father. Her father…

Hinata had not seen him in three years. She had left relatively abruptly for her mission and the last thing he said to her was, "You need to practice your genjutsu abilities more when you get back."

Oh Father, I got genjutsu training from the best of the best, she wanted to tell him. But she couldn't. She couldn't tell anyone that.

It was awkward as hell as she moved to hug him, but he stayed put, so then she froze and then he moved towards her averting his eyes downwards in the process, which she mistook for a slight bow, so she did a slight bow too and oh hell, it was weird as they both moved in for the world's slowest, most uncomfortable hug like a porcupine trying to hug a balloon.

"Daughter," Hiashi breathed out. It was so soft that Hinata was sure he intended for only his chin to hear it, but she heard him and the relief in his voice too. She pulled away leaving a wet spot of tears on his kimono. She'd stilled for a while trying her best to soak in this particular memory.

She barely got time to register the awkwardness of hugging Hanabi and Neji when she heard her name booming.

"Hinata-chan!"

Hinata rocked sideways as she found herself encased in a hug from Naruto. A hug. From Naruto! How long had she dreamed of this? It didn't have the same effect as she thought it would though. Her face was still aflame and her voice had packed up and gone on vacation, yes, but still, she didn't feel the iron butterflies she once felt just by being in his presence. Instead, she reflected that her younger self would never believe her if she said that Naruto hugged her and she didn't faint. What did that mean? Was she over her love for him? Hinata doubted it. She was probably just stunned or matured in her emotions or something because she could never stop loving her Naruto-kun.

"Hinata-chan, everyone thought you were dead!" Okay, people have to stop opening with that line. It was getting old, fast. "And look how long your hair is! You look so different."

"Th-thank y–"

"And you brought back Sasuke!" He let go of her and suddenly Naruto was on the floor, bowing deeply to her. Sakura was too and they both professed their undying gratitude for her selfless act. Hinata wanted to dig a hole in the ground with her bare hands just to get away from the sheer embarrassment.

"Naruto get off the floor!"

"But Baa-chan –"

"GET OFF THE FLOOR!" Naruto and Sakura flew off the floor like cartoon cats and were literally on the ceiling. She gave them a look and they dropped from the ceiling looking like they just didn't know how to do anything right.

"Naruto and Sakura, Hinata was only doing her duty as a Konoha hero by bringing back Uchiha Sasuke. She didn't do anything that any of us in this room wouldn't have done. She didn't ignore her duty. She is a proud kunoichi of Konoha and that is why we want to honour her, among a few others that have served Konoha well in this fight against the Akatsuki."

Hinata blushed, but she could see from the corner of her eye Sasuke's upper lip slowly curling into a snarl.

"She didn't _do_ anything besides manage to stay alive for three years." She heard him mumble. Everyone turned to look at him.

"We didn't forget you either, Sasuke." Tsunade drily said.

"I don't want your awards or your recognition. I don't need Konoha to tell me that I'm great."

There was a pause where everyone looked at him as they collectively thought: 'Seriously?'

"Right. Hinata-chan and Sasuke, please come this way. We have a small ceremony for you to attend. Everyone else, you can take your seat in meeting room number five."

With that she walked out effectively cutting off any rebuttals that Sasuke was thinking and not giving anyone the choice of whether or not they wanted to follow her as the ANBU circled them, pushing them out the door like cattle.

Sasuke really didn't like Tsunade. He especially disliked Kakashi with his poor attempt at nonchalance as if he didn't literally run around frantically to get back his favourite student. And what was up with the bowing? Naruto and Sakura had officially made Sasuke's People To Kill In The Near Future list.

As if Hinata was some kind of hero? She was with the Akatsuki for three years! She was working for them, he just knew it. In the few moments that he saw her in that shack, he remembered clearly that she _wasn't_ skittering away from Tobi or Madara or whatever his name was. As a matter of fact she was cooking and cleaning for him! That's how much they trusted her! All Hinata really did was get them to trust her enough so that she could poison them later – or at least that was the story she wanted everyone to believe, Sasuke thought. She poisoned him too, he remembered with an odd mixture of respect that she was able to get away with it and damning shame that she was able to get away with it.

Now Sasuke knew that Ibiki was no idiot. He would never be fooled by Hinata's wide, wet-eyed look of innocence, her stutter and blush. Yet, she was able to fool that man. Sasuke had no doubt that Hinata fooled him. She should never be able to hide her secrets well enough. There was a Yamanaka working on the T&I team and he was no match for Sasuke's well crafter labyrinthine mind, so how could a person like Hinata who telegraphed her emotions so openly, be able to hide her mind's secrets? He caught a glimpse of her true nature when she came out of the bathroom – her cunning. That girl was up to something. But what?

* * *

It was a bit close to lunch time and they were walking back from the ceremony, their footsteps soft across the packed dirt road as they made their way to the restaurant they were supposed to meet the others at after the ceremony. It was strange to be here again, Sasuke thought. Uncontrollably, his mind kept jumping to every encounter he had with a particular building in this peculiar light of day and the circumstances surrounding it. But a lot had changed in his nearly three year absence – most of it looked the same, but things were changed. It reminded him of a dream. This is how things looked in a dream – more or less the same, but the details were off, hazy and changed in little ways. He felt wearisome and really didn't want to socialize, especially with this dark cloud walking next to him. Something about Hinata kept his mind dredging up hastily hidden memories of things better left buried.

Both he and Hinata got promoted to Jounin. He wasn't sure how long he could keep on this uniform for. His promotion he could understand – he was, as everyone kept reminding him, "a Konoha hero". Oh the irony, he thought.

But Hinata, what the hell was she being promoted for? At least with him he could say that he killed two S-Class missing nin: Orochimaru and Itachi. But Hinata did what, exactly? She brought back himself and then did fuck all to bring back Madara. She didn't kill him or capture him. Should someone really get back such rewards for doing nothing but being able to stick out three years with Madara?

No, there had to be something more to this. She must have brought back really sensitive information or something. But, Madara didn't trust her. Sasuke clearly remembered Madara closing the door on her when they had their conversation. Why didn't she kill him? She claimed she didn't. Well then, why didn't she bring back the two of them in that wheelbarrow? There was something more…

The ANBU accompanied them right up to the door. Sasuke was getting a bit sick and tired of their babysitters.

When they entered the restaurant, Sasuke and Hinata heard the tail end of Naruto complaining about why they didn't go to a ramen restaurant. As the little bell over the door jingled everyone looked up and conversation stopped as if air just got sucked out of the room. Hinata smiled nervously. Sasuke scowled.

"Hey guys! Come sit over here." Ten Ten said, getting up to make room for them around the _irori_.

"Don't you guys think it's a bit too hot to be having _shabu shabu nabe_?"

"Naruto, just shut it, okay! We're not going to get ramen. Ichiraku's is too small to hold all of us anyway."

"We could have gone for barbecue." Chouji mumbled and Ino gave him a side eye.

"We always go for barbecue."

"If it ain't broke…" He muttered, but didn't bother to finish as the side-eye that Ino gave him nearly made him swallow his tongue.

Sasuke stooped and sat quietly between Naruto and Sakura and Hinata sat next to Kiba and Ten Ten. She noticed her sister was there so now the Konoha Twelve was actually thirteen. She didn't know what to say and felt that itchy feeling of awkwardness creeping up her skin. She wanted to twiddle her thumbs and mumble stuff about the weather and beef and vegetables. She hoped this would end soon and that she wouldn't be asked too many questions.

"Hinata-chan," Naruto addressed her and instantly Hinata began her finger twitching. She looked up at him expectantly.

"You looked really cool up there giving your acceptance speech."

Hinata wondered if he was patronizing her as he acceptance 'speech' consisted of "Thank you for your generosity. I will always serve my Village and do my duty." She was told to say it too.

"Umm…"

"We all had to say it, you idiot." Sasuke said as he swished around a razor-thin slice of beef into the central pot of boiling water before dipping it into his own small bowl of ponzu sauce.

"What?"

"T-they told us what to say when we accepted our promotion and medal, N-Naruto-kun."

"Oh," He looked slightly crestfallen.

"What's the big deal, though?" Kiba said as he realized that Naruto's sudden disappointment was affecting the mood of the gathering as acute as if the oxygen level suddenly dipped. "Hinata's still this Village's hero. You're amazing. I can't even begin to imagine what you had to go through. Hinata…you've been really brave." He kept his eyes focused on the platter of vegetables on the low counter in front of him and Sasuke found Kiba's sudden timidity around Hinata irritating.

"Why didn't you kill him?" Sasuke asked Hinata. He didn't mention Madara's name, but Hinata knew who he was referring to anyway. She idly wondered if he omitted the name because he wanted to keep certain things from the others or is he was still keeping faithful to his oaths and keeping classified information classified.

"S-Sas–" She stopped mid-calling of his name and cleared her throat because she no doubt had not decided on what honorific to call him.

"Kill who?" Lee asked, but Sasuke ignored him as did Hinata. Neji answered instead,

"Probably he means her Akatsuki jailer."

"Jailer is a strong word." Sasuke acknowledged Neji's remark and noted with satisfaction Neji's raised eyebrow pop of curiosity.

He decided to ease his position.

"You were captured by the Akatsuki, weren't you?"

"Um," Hinata looked up at Sasuke, but quickly averted her gaze. She couldn't bear to look at him. He noticed that with her all evening. "W-what?"

"You heard me."

"I –" Hinata didn't know how to tell him that technically, she wasn't captured. Technically, she went to them...kinda. "Yes, I was captured." Hinata finally answered Sasuke.

"Did you give up information?"

"No." She answered cautiously; she and everyone else wondering where he was going with this. If she had given up information she wouldn't be here now would she? She would be in T&I, never again to see the light of day.

"Were you tortured?"

"Umm…"

"If you didn't give up any information, then why did they not terminate you?"

"Exc-c-cuse me?" Sasuke could see her sweat moustache thicken. How on earth did she pass T&I, he wondered.

"You had nothing to offer. You were a mere genin in those days, no? Or did you make Chuunin already? If you didn't give up any information then why were you kept alive for three years? As far as I can see, you were useless."

Hinata was getting a little bit fed up of Sasuke's attitude. She finally looked him in the eye.

"Why are you asking me all of these questions?"

Sasuke couldn't help but notice that she didn't stutter not once. Also, her eyes were disturbing; its whiteness frightening like something not of this world.

"You're here for a reason, aren't you _hero_?" He asked her, spitting out the last word.

"Aren't you a hero too?"

Sasuke subtly covered his sharp intake of breath that came with her words. This girl with her sheep-like stare, stuttering tongue and whisper of a voice, seemed to pierce him something fierce with just the right emphasis.

"Why don't we just focus on the food?" Naruto said warily. His tone was so sombre and the undercurrent of threat that came from him made Sasuke look at him twice. When had Naruto become the de facto leader of this group? Everyone who had stopped eating and was watching the exchange between Sasuke and Hinata eventually re-focussed their attention on their food. Sasuke wanted to challenge Naruto, but nobody seemed willing to pay him any further attention and he realized that doing so would only make him look stupid. He settled instead for getting up and leaving the restaurant entirely.

It was only when Sakura caught up with him a few seconds later did he realize that he had no idea where he was going to stay. He didn't even know if the old Uchiha compound was available. After the massacre, he stayed in a home for orphaned boys and then was quickly given an apartment in a quiet, nice side of the Village. He doubted that the apartment was still available and he sure as hell was not going to stay in that psychological death trap that was now the Uchiha compound.

"Sasuke-kun! Wait up!"

He didn't turn around or stop and Sakura had to jog a bit to reach him.

"I have to give you the keys to your new apartment." She said, taking his left hand and shoving a ring of keys into them. "The address is on that paper attached to the keys. It's fully furnished. There's also some food to last you a bit. Naruto and I went shopping for you, but we didn't know exactly what to get you, so we got you a little bit of everything. If there's anything you don't eat, feel free to give it away. Tsunade-sama said that your account's been unfrozen, so you can access your Uchiha money now too. As for clothes, we didn't know what to really get you in that short space of time. But we kept it simple – a few kimono, hakama, black pants and shirts. If you want I can sew the Uchiha crest onto them for you. I know –"

"Sakura,"

She stopped to look up at him forcing him to stop too. He didn't like his pace being dictated, but for what he was about to say, he didn't mind giving her his complete attention. He needed to get this out of the way if they were to have any semblance of a 'friendship' between them.

"I'm not interested in you. I never have and never will be. I don't think that you're someone who could ever be good enough for me."

Sakura's mouth hung open for a moment as she did a thousand yard stare. Sasuke waited patiently for her to get her bearings.

Subtly, her fingers began to flex and he unconsciously readied himself for a fight – though he knew that she was not worthy.

"I was not trying to seduce you. I was only doing my duty – not as a friend, but as a Kunoichi given an order by her superiors that I'm supposed to inform you of your new living arrangements. You need to learn what duty is." He was _not_ expecting her to say that and her words managed to capture his complete attention. Where was she going with this?

"You just barely passed your Psych test. I don't know how you did it, but you scraped by T&I." She continued, "What just went down with you and Hinata during lunch doesn't make you look good at all. No matter what people say, Hinata is the hero, not you. You, you are just tolerated. You made me wonder, but now I've made up my mind. I will never choose you. I will only choose those who stand for Konoha."

With that she walked off in the opposite direction. Sasuke could see her rage making her vibrate like a plucked guitar string. But she wasn't the only one. Was he getting too sentimental? He didn't care too much for Sakura, but her accusation that he was just tolerated made him feel…uncomfortable. He had yet to figure out a reason why.

And what did she mean by that Pscyh test remark? What exactly did she know? How much did she know? How much did Tsunade?

He reached the apartment and stopped right before he was about to open the door when Sakura's words made some things fall into place. Hinata was a perfect candidate for being an Akatsuki mole too – Konoha's shy sweetheart.

He opened the apartment, registering the entirety of it before he closed the door and noticed that a paper with his name on it was on the floor right in front of him. Nonchalantly activating his Sharingan, he picked it up, idly wondering what the Hokage would think if he told her that he was not the one to look out for, but rather the hero that everyone wanted – the darling of the Hyuugas – Hinata Hyuuga, was more dangerous than she seemed.

_Have you made up your mind? _

He re-read the note carefully before he went off in search of a pen to write back his answer.

About an hour later Hinata opened her bedroom door feeling drained. She was about to collapse on the bed that she hadn't slept on in three years when she noticed the note on top of it. With a scan of her Byakugan she read it,

_Have you made up your mind?_

* * *

**A/N**: Mysterious notes and questioned allegiances. Who could those notes be from? And whose side is Hinata and Sasuke really on?


	3. Voyeur

**Chapter Three: Voyeur **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto

**A/N**: The pacing is a bit quick in this one.

* * *

"I think I can lose him, Naruto."

"Sasuke, listen. If you run, you'll only make it worse." Sakura said slightly annoyed. It was nearing seven o'clock and the sun had yet to set and they had been training all evening and she was really tired.

Sasuke ignored her. She scowled a bit. Things between them lately had been…terse.

"You think you can make it? I bet you anything that that ANBU's a tracker." Naruto said rather chipper.

"If you kill him, you'll never see the light of day again." Sakura warned.

"Whoa! Who said anything about killing? Take it easy, Sakura-chan." Naruto said with a shaky smile, but couldn't help but notice that Sasuke didn't contradict him.

"In three, we do a reverse of mission Tora the cat, okay. We'll meet up at Naruto's apartment." Sasuke said and Naruto grinned broadly like a shark, while Sakura felt like an outsider again, trying to get into the boys club. She didn't like the look in Sasuke's eyes. Then again, she never did.

In three seconds all that could have been seen was a cloud of dust on the training ground where Team Seven once stood. Sasuke's ANBU tracker cursed under his breath as he really wasn't in the mood to have to do anything but sit in this tree and idly ensure that Sasuke didn't blow up the town or anything like that. He had no idea where they went, but an intelligent guess told him that the best place to try to lose someone would be in the market, which was conveniently located just two minutes walk from here. The ANBU watcher stood atop the heavy bough of the tree and scanned the edge of the market, where he could just see the top of Sasuke's darker than black hair disappearing into the crowd. He cursed aloud again about stupid Sasuke putting him through all of this unnecessary hullaballoo, but in the end, he gave chase.

"I've got three Rabbits on the run." He spoke lethargically into his radio.

"Copy. Where is the Black rabbit?" A female voice answered. She sounded slightly excited and worried, but was trying to hide it under a veneer of I-do-this-all-time-time forced calmness.

"The target is on the run heading east into the worst fucking area."

"Excuse me, Green one?"

"Heading east from Training Ground 11 and onto Market Street. Do you copy Red One?" He said in his most sarcastic voice.

"Copy. Operation Down the Rabbit Hole is in effect."

The Thursday market in Konoha was always the busiest because that was the day that the vendors got fresh produce and others brought out their newest wares. It was bustling and filled to the brim with civilians selling everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to meats to clothing to toys. The pathways were winding and narrow and because of the oversized shed that they were housed under, the market was always a little bit dark. The lighting right now was in that in-between stage when it was still light enough before lights were put on, but just dark enough that people were considering putting on their lights. The market was loud and dizzying with its myriad smells and confusing with its ant-like pathways and hundreds of people. It was exactly what Team Seven wanted.

In no time at all, Sasuke noticed that he was being encroached on all sides by ANBU. He ducked into a side street at random and threw down a couple of coins at the nearest clothing table as he randomly picked up a shirt and scarf all the while forcibly tamping down his chakra. He saw a man walking ahead of him and it was pretty easy to mimic this man's walk and apply a very, very simple genjutsu that used minimal chakra that had him looking quite similar, but not exactly, to the stranger up ahead. He donned the shirt and loosely secured the scarf around his face.

"Green One, we have two other targets that have us engaged. Pursue the Black Rabbit."

"Copy." He responded with a long suffering sigh. He raced through the market. There were so many civilians stopping and plodding along. He ran up a nearby wall and everyone gasped at the ninja in their midst. They knew what that meant – usually a ninja blatantly showing off such skills always meant a fight was about to break out. An impending fight meant goods and people getting caught up in the mêlée and a long and tiring and convoluted process to receive compensation, if any. The market vendors and buyers immediately began to quarrel.

In a way ANBU Green One a.k.a Bat (he hated his mask) was kind of happy for the attention. Maybe his presence might force Sasuke to use the opportunity to run and he could pick him out from the crowd more easily. He knew that Sasuke had gone down this street, but there were so many people and the lack of bright light made for making out a target just a bit more difficult. Then, everything got extremely more difficult. The people started to pelt stones at him.

"What the – "

"Green One, are you distressed?"

"Yes! They're throwing stones at me!"

"Do not endanger any civilians in your pursuit. Do you copy?"

"I'm the one in danger here, Ino!"

"Shikamaru I told you not to call me by name!"

Everyone else on the same radio band width as them did a collective eye roll. New recruits were always the worst, thought their captain. Their probationary period was coming to an end soon though. He still hadn't made up his mind if he would keep them or not.

"Engage necessary force, Green One. Capture target." A new voice broke in – it was a scratchy and rough male voice sounding tired.

"Copy." Green One remembered that the use of signature jutsus were generally discouraged in ANBU, but he supposed that was a rule to be employed at your discretion. Plus, he received a direct order.

As he ducked and braced for impact from the stones coming his way, Shikamaru attempted something that he had never done before. He put his hands together for the necessary seal and in a massive amount of effort he heaved the shadows from off the ground and captured everyone standing on that street within his dark net – their limbs frozen to his commands.

It could only have been done for a few seconds at most – a herculean effort as far as he was concerned, but that wasn't his purpose. He had no intention of capturing these people – he only wanted to find Sasuke in this sea of civilians and as soon as his chakra alighted onto Sasuke's body, he found him hiding in a low genjutsu. Their eyes locked and Shikamaru noticed the small and dangerous smile Sasuke was wearing.

"I'm about to engage target. Red One, stand by."

"Standing by, Green One."

Shikamaru released the jutsu and ducked the stones that were coming his way as he jumped from his perch on the wall above the crowd. He didn't want to go into that mêlée but it was necessary. But what was most unnerving was that Sasuke had released his genjutsu and was simply standing there waiting for Shikamaru's attack. Shikamaru knew that he was no match for Sasuke, at least not physically, and especially not after using up such a huge amount of chakra. He stumbled on his way, his vision blurring, as he reluctantly noted that this was going to be painful. He only hoped that his plan worked.

Sasuke watched Shikamaru approach. His little shadow trick had cost him and now he could barely run properly let alone dodge the angry mob. A stone collided with Shikamaru's chin and Sasuke watched with satisfaction as the Nara just barely avoided rolling with that hit. This was going to be too easy, Sasuke thought.

Shikamaru was practically telegraphing his punches and was moving as slow as a turtle. Sasuke blocked a punch with his forearm, all the while putting the least amount of effort into it. He saw Shikamaru rock forward because another stone had hit him in the back of his head and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He held onto Sasuke and for one brief second Sasuke underestimated Shikamaru. By the time he remembered though, it was too late. With his last amount of strength, right before he passed out, Shikamaru held Sasuke in his ninjutsu. Sasuke felt his body freeze with Shikamaru hanging onto him. But it only lasted for a second or two before Shikamaru slid off of Sasuke like rain sliding off a window.

Sasuke kicked Shikamaru in the ribs for good measure and the shadow-user did not budge. The crowd had momentarily simmered down as they realized who exactly the ANBU was fighting – Sasuke Uchiha. In that brief moment where they calculated the amount of danger they were in and what to do next, Sasuke turned to run, but found that he couldn't move.

"Hello Sasuke." A voice inside his head said. He recognized the voice, but it took him a few moments to finally place the voice as belonging to Ino. He felt a terrible and sharp pain before everything went black.

* * *

When Sasuke opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Tsunade standing over him.

He had to get up from the floor. His body ached and his head was pounding. He wondered what Ino did to him.

"Hello Sasuke," Tsunade said to him and he realized that one, that was the last thing he heard before Ino captured him and two, Tsunade was smiling which made her look crazy as shit.

"Sasuke, was it really necessary to try to bait my ANBU like that? Look at the mess it got you into. And by the way, for an international criminal you really didn't put up much of a fight. I guess that fearsome reputation is just that – all talk."

"You need to take your ANBU dogs off of me."

"Or else what?"

"I was playing around just then. I could've burnt your precious civilians to a crisp. You like barbecue? You think I couldn't have taken out your ANBU?"

"Says the man captured by them."

Sasuke didn't show any emotion, but he didn't have to. Tsunade already knew that she got to him. This conversation was intriguing her and her mind was spinning with the possibilities.

"You're on probation."

"I'm a hero. If I passed my psych test and interrogations and I'm sure you had Ino running around in my brain, then I should be free. You publicly promoted me and decorated me, yet you're still treating me like a traitor, like a criminal. No more ANBU or else I'll finish them."

Tsunade stared at him.

"Fine. You're right. You are a hero. A promoted and decorated hero too. You're right. I'll call off the ANBU, but one false move…" She left the sentence hanging, allowing him to fill in any possible consequences that he saw fit. "You're dismissed." She turned her back to him and walked over to the window where she waited a few seconds before hearing the door slam.

"Monkey?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" Someone with a monkey mask with a yellow stripe going down the right eye emerged seemingly from the walls.

"You can deliver that message now and be extremely quick about it. We don't have much time."

In a swirl of leaves the ANBU disappeared and suddenly, before she got any time to collect herself, Danzo was limping into her office.

"I just saw the Uchiha walking out of your office. Why is he not in T&I?"

Tsunade didn't bother to turn around. The man's mere presence made her blood boil. She just continued to focus on the going-ons of the Village as she watched Sasuke head east, more than likely heading towards Naruto's apartment.

* * *

He spotted her from a distance. Not because of her clothes – she was no longer wearing dull kimonos (as when he first saw her in that shed weeks ago) or the Jounin uniform like himself. Instead, she was covered in a most unflattering, puffy and oversized lavender and cream jacket and baggy and sagging navy blue pants. They seemed to match with her violet coloured hair which was what caught his attention in the first place. He knew no one else with hair like that and he remembered unwillingly, her long hair just barely tickling his face when she leaned over him in that shack all that time ago.

He wondered what she was doing in a neighbourhood like this when he vaguely remembered that she used to stalk Naruto back in the days. He hoped that she wasn't still doing something like that. That would make her beyond pathetic. It was then that he saw her duck into an alleyway, but by the time that he passed by she had disappeared.

Sasuke stopped and looked down the dark and narrow lane. The footpath was wet despite no rain having fallen. There were faint yellow lights intermittently coming from little breaks in the walls. This was not a place for the princess of the Hyuugas. He wondered if something happened to her, and if so, what should he do about it, if anything at all. He turned to leave, but found himself turning down the alleyway instead.

He caught a glimpse of her hair when he looked inside one of the windows and immediately opened the door. All two persons inside – Hinata and a chef – turned to look at him. The chef wore a look of indifference while Hinata just smiled nervously.

The entirety of the eating establishment could be seen from the front door. It could hold for the most maybe six persons, six slim persons in its ten by eight frame.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her, almost suspiciously and she offered him a small smile.

"Sasuke-san? Are you f-f-following me?" He looked at her slightly confused, but then remembered that the last time they spoke, he was two questions away from turning it into a formal interrogation. She only smiled nervously at him when she realized that he was closing the door behind him and taking the two steps needed to take a seat next to her at the counter – the only seating available as the entire restaurant was counter service only.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her again, this time a bit more warily.

"This is the place where you want to be. This place serves the best spicy food ever. I got a craving for spicy food tonight. Just like that. Do you like spicy food, Sasuke-san?"

"Not really." He felt unnerved that she was speaking to him normally, like they had no awkward history of drugging and interrogations between them.

Silence stretched on for a while. She was not following the script. If someone unexpectedly asked you 'what are you doing here', shouldn't you reply the same way? Yet she talked almost as if she was expecting him.

"D-d-do you like m-more traditional foods then?"

"Yeah."

"O-oh."

He noticed her stuttering was back and he surmised that his non-committal answers were making her nervous and tired since she was carrying the total conversational weight. He didn't like it when she stuttered. Against the goodness of his natural proclivity, he decided to help her out.

"I don't mind spicy foods, but it's not something that I eat often. The flavours are sometimes too bold for me."

"I understand. Food in Konoha is like the Village – flavours are hidden and different to a lot of outsiders, but once you open up yourself to idea that this is how it's supposed to taste – fresh and subtle with the bold and strong flavours hidden underneath, you can get a greater appreciation for not just our food, but all kinds of foods. Konoha, like its food is complex with layers."

Sasuke looked at the shabby counter surface, taking in the different patterns of the wood grains while he thought about what she said and tried not to let his shock show that she had said so many words to him without stuttering once and that she also had something intelligent and thought provoking to say.

"I never thought about it like that." He said looking up at her and realized that the Chef was looking at them with barely concealed annoyance. Hinata noticed it too and jumped a bit, trying to bow an apology while she was sitting at a counter. She looked ridiculous.

"I'm so sorry. I'll have the special. Sasuke-san, what do you want?"

He paused because there was no menu and he didn't want to look foolish so he just ordered the same as her.

"How do you know about here?"

"When I used to follow Na–. Umm, I mean, when I used to take walks around the Village, I came across these alleyways. In this area of the Village there are worlds within worlds."

"Like a hive."

"Yes, yes! Like a hive. I wouldn't have thought of it like that. That's a good simile, Sasuke-san!" Her praise made him feel fatuous and he wondered if she was being facetious.

"I feel like I'm seeing the underbelly of Konoha." He mumbled as he looked around the low ceiling and shabby walls.

"Really? I feel like I'm seeing its heart." He looked back at her, but she was staring at the counter. She looked comfortable – surprising given their last few interactions. He felt strange.

"This section of town is called Mukougawa – the other side. Lots of merchants that settled in Konoha from other places came here and brought their chefs with them. This person that cooks for us now is a descendent of those cooks. They've been doing this for years. Look at those pots. I could never make the same food home as good as they make it here. Those pots have been handed down from generations. They are imbibed with flavour."

Sasuke looked at Hinata's face. In her eyes she was bordering at mania as she looked at the chef dump noodles, some kind of greens and something he suspected were onions into a large bowl and then the cook took the ladle to a huge cauldron where bubbled something dark and ominous. He poured a generous amount of this suspicious brown liquid into the bowl, topped it off with something that looked like chillies and ginger and pineapple before he placed the bowl in front of Hinata. He could practically taste the impending burn.

In no time at all, a bowl was placed in front of him too and it seemed like he had zero chances of backing away.

"It's not the most appealing." He muttered as he took up his chopsticks carefully and stared at the dubious, muddy brown, bubbling liquid.

Hinata giggled and he turned to her sharply. She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes shrinking and he relaxed. "Don't be afraid, Sasuke-san. This is actually good hangover food, I've heard."

"Unfortunately, I'm not drunk." He looked up at the shelf behind the cook and spied bottles of alcohol, but then he gave a side eye to Hinata who picked up his unsaid words immediately.

"I'm no threat. I just want to eat."

He turned to judge her sincerity.

"I know that you don't trust me, but you should."

"Why?"

"All I can only tell you now is…I'm just like you."

For the first time that night, a small smile escaped him.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about."

Hinata decided not to comment on that. This whole situation was so surreal anyway. She came here and then there was Sasuke suddenly sitting down with her to share a meal – a meal that she wouldn't even normally eat because she hated seafood, but she loved this. And then there he was speaking to her normally while she waxed lyrical about the profundity of Konoha's off-beaten history of food. She wondered if she should apologize for poisoning him or if that would be poor timing on her part.

She heard him slurping and looked to him with her eyebrows furrowed. Somehow he always came across as inhuman. Slurping was beneath him. Yet here he was. She noticed his eyebrows shoot in the air.

"That is…extremely spicy and…" He took a moment to chew the noodles better, "and really, really good." He looked at Hinata like she just became his new best friend. "It's really good. And you're right. It tastes like a different side of Konoha if you know what I mean." He felt inadequate and inarticulate and uncharacteristically like a chatterbox. What was going on with him? He felt out-of-sorts.

"I know." She smiled broadly and dipped into hers, relishing the sour tamarind flavour and the slightly chewy noodles together with the heat of the chillies. Her nose began to run, but she didn't care about Sasuke seeing her runny nose.

When they were finished, he paid his half to her because she had a larger note and they then stepped out into the cool night. The alley seemed even darker after the brightness and warmth of inside and the heat of the noodle soup resting comfortably on their stomachs.

Hinata's eyes almost glowed in the dark, while Sasuke's remained hidden. She could barely see his face except for those times when they passed a shop window and the light would fall briefly on his face. He was considerably taller than her and in this dark alleyway a sudden flutter of dangerous recognition that he could do to her anything he wanted tightened around her chest.

Just before they reached the lit street, he stopped her.

"I got into a fight today." He almost loomed over her and Hinata found herself backed up against the wall.

"With ANBU? I heard."

He scoffed. "News sure travels fast."

"It's a small village."

"Are you having the same problem? Are they keeping tabs on you too?"

"I don't know."

"How could you not know? You have the Byakugan! You're a kunoichi, no?"

"I just m-m-mean, that I'm not s-s-s-s-sure." She couldn't see his face clearly, but she was sure that he was looking at her like she was a first class idiot. She wondered if he realized that he was encroaching on her personal space. She felt sickened from nerves but then remembered that close range is her speciality. He's the one that should be feeling on edge. "I don't think ANBU is stalking me, if that's what you mean."

He was silent for a while. Someone passed on the brightly lit street and they both turned away their faces, he unconsciously shielding her with his body. She realized that their actions made them look like fugitives or worse, clandestine lovers.

"That's strange. I had ANBU following me for the past week."

"Maybe I'm not considered a threat like you are." She whispered. He huffed out a laugh.

"I think you are."

She looked up at him and gave him her best 'who me?' expression. He found himself smirking.

"You are…definitely not what you seem."

"You're paranoid."

"Probably. Sakura thinks I need help." She didn't respond and he got the impression that she was tiring of the conversation. He felt stupid and annoyed. This was unlike him – running down conversation. "I'll see you around." He suddenly said and left her in the darkness before she could respond.

"I-I-I'll see you around too."

* * *

Later that night Sasuke moved about in his new apartment. He was feeling on edge.

He drank a glass of water and then went to the bedroom to neaten it up – there was nothing much to do as he was a very fastidious person. He cleaned up the couple of wares in the sink from breakfast earlier and then he was bored. He really ought to take up a hobby, he thought morosely. He decided that tomorrow he'd get some books after he did his daily training. He felt wired and understood how people could drink themselves to sleep. It was a good thing that he didn't keep any alcohol in the apartment. He could see himself going down a dark path. Completely bored he decided to lie down. It was only a little after eight o'clock, but so what.

As his head hit the pillow he realized how tired he wasn't and also that his mind really wanted to focus on one thing – his strange encounter this evening with Hinata.

No matter how he looked at it, the entire thing felt bizarre. Yet, she looked at him when he entered the shop as if she was expecting him. She was…interesting.

He realized with an annoyed sigh that he didn't take a shower after he raised his hand above his head and smelled the stale sweat under his arm. He briefly considered not bothering as it was only him to smell his funky self, but eventually he got up. He was still feeling on edge because of this afternoon and maybe a shower would help.

While in the shower he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to meet up at Naruto's apartment. It was the whole reason for him heading to that side of town, until he got distracted by Hinata. It was so strange. He wondered if Naruto would come looking for him, but his mind could barely focus on anything else except his encounter this evening with Hinata.

The warm water cascading down his skin seemed to do nothing to ease this odd feeling of anxiety. He couldn't figure out why he felt as if little bolts of lightning were running around underneath his skin. He needed to release this energy. He usually only felt this way when he was really angry, but this was a different kind of keyed up and he knew it.

He was aroused and he found it so strange because it seemed to come out of nowhere.

Just a stroke and he found himself going. This kind of feeling only happened in his dreams where vague, wispy outlines of women stirred up elusive feelings of want and need. But this time was different – the figure was clear…in a way. His mind brought up images of a young woman. She was curvy, but that wasn't what was inspiring him. Her face was mostly hidden by her long hair…her long, indigo hair.

With a grunt, he felt the hot liquid in his hand and his muscles feeling loose and relaxed. He washed off quickly and stepped out of the shower. He put on his pajama bottoms, rechecked to see that the door and windows were locked and that his sword was within arm's reach at his bedside. He refused to think about what just happened in the bathroom – remaining only with a strong sense of shame that he refused to analyze. He threw his arm over his eyes and willed himself to fall asleep. His body was feeling relaxed, but his mind was even more wired than before.

* * *

Hinata watched Sasuke do all this. She felt guilty especially knowing that she witnessed a most private thing, yet she couldn't look away. Her face was red, almost purple with discomfort. She felt embarrassed to know that she felt a knot of want in her groin that she knew had nothing to do with Sasuke himself, but rather the familiar feeling of want that she often experienced in her dreams, that made her feel uncomfortable when she was awake.

When she noticed his breathing slowing down and his muscles descend into atonia associated with REM sleep, she deactivated her Byakugan and got up from her bed and wrote a quick report. She too was tired. She had to run all the way from the Hyuuga Manor to practically the other side of the Village in order to intercept Sasuke in time. She didn't know why, but those were her orders – "_Let him see you_." Plus, when she got home this evening her father was having a social gathering. Even Ten Ten was there. It was hard to balance her familial and kunoichi duties - she felt drained.

When she moved to the window after she sealed the report, an ANBU wearing a monkey mask with a yellow stripe over the right eye appeared to receive it.

Hinata went back to bed with one quick yet thorough search with her Byakugan. She couldn't help but wonder that Sasuke had a point. How come no one was spying on her?


End file.
